Ben-Ari was born in
Afula, Israel, to a family of
Mizrahi Jewish background. He first discovered music as a child through the traditional Jewish and ethnic chants that were part of his everyday life. He started playing music at the age of 16 and has since studied music around the world, including in
India, the
Sahara, and the
Sinai. He plays various string instruments including acoustic and classic guitar, Indian
sarod, Persian
tar, Turkish
cümbüş, Moroccan
sintir, and bass. In 1997, together with a few friends, he founded the world music ensemble Sheva (, Seven). The band members come from Muslim and Jewish backgrounds and the main theme in their songs is the call for peace in the Middle East and around the world. Their first album, (, "Heavenly Wedding" or "Celestial Marriage") featured the hit song
Salaam ("", from Arabic: ), also known as
′Od Yavoh′ Shalom ′Alaynu (""lit. "Still, it will come, Peace upon us"). The band has released four studio albums and one live album. In 2001, Ben-Ari's debut solo album,
Ad Elay ("", "Unto me"), came out. In 2004, he released his second album,
Derekh ("", "Way" or "Path"). This album quickly went Gold in Israel. In 2006, Ben-Ari's third album,
Masa UMatan ("Negotiations" lit. "Journey and Provision" ""), was released. All of Ben-Ari's albums have been produced by
Globalev World Music, in Israel. His music is a blend of
rock,
soul,
reggae, and
world music. Ben-Ari was featured in
Central Park's Summerstage Tour on 29 June 2008. Mosh Ben-Ari served as coach and mentor on the
third season of the television singing competition
The Voice Israel. ==Discography==